Resiliency is the strongest attribute we can develop and possess that will help us to be successful during the social distancing and quarantine during COVID-19. Resiliency allows us to feel a sense of capability and strength during difficult times. Resiliency protects us from vulnerability, and vulnerability can make the process of managing this pandemic much more difficult.

Dr Bruce Perry studies stress and resilience and recently put out an education on the Neurosequential Network on how to maintain resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. His suggestions are below, with suggestions added in brackets:

Have daily structure (daily routine like bathing, getting dressed, movement)

Eat with others (even if over video or phone)

Limit media exposure to what is happening in the world

Exercise regularly (stretching, yoga, walking, home workouts)

Reach out to others (call, write letters, video call, send photos, etc)

Help others (get their groceries for them, or mow their lawn, say hello from a distance)

Engage in sleep hygiene (regular sleep pattern and ways to develop good sleep)

Have a positive, future focused view of the world, others and yourself (this is not forever, things will be different)

Have connectedness:

Conduct meaningful work in your days (do anything that has meaning for you)

Secure income (apply for EI or emergency funding, work from home, organize finances)

Secure housing (talk with the bank or your landlord if you need financial help to keep your housing secured if you are struggling with financial changes at this time)

Keep cultural connections (watch meetings online, continue with cultural practices)

Mainstream culture & ethnicity (stay connected with your community as you are able)

Safe and stable family (take breaks from each other, breathe when feeling emotions rising)

Safe and stable community (join local activities such as making masks of medical staff, cheer at 7pm, put hearts on your windows for others to see)

An important way to build and keep resilience is to develop a lifestyle that can be predictable, moderate and controllable to manage the impact of stress from the world.

If you are struggling with gaining or maintaining any of these aspects, please reach out to others who may be able to assist you, or feel free to connect with me on my ‘Contact Me’ page for support.

Source from: https://www.neurosequential.com/covid-19-resources

Hello all!

 

It’s been a while since my last post- yikes! I have to stay, I did a few things at that time…

1. When I posted last about using extended health benefits for counselling, I so appreciated your calls about how to use your benefits! Hearing from folks about what their benefits look like and how to make the most of them was heartwarming. I’m glad this was helpful for you.

2. I also reviewed my previous posts and really was excited to create another vision board. On my vision board I really prioritized more time with people and less on the computer- and that’s exactly what I did!

Now, with how the world is, I felt drawn to come back to blogging to send all of you information I have been gathering to help us all during this COVID-19 pandemic. I hope that the next few posts are helpful for you in navigating through this worldly experience.

 

If anyone is like me out there, you may have already cleaned to bathroom, did the laundry, swept the floors and washed the dishes. Now what? Netflix for 8 hours? It’s week 2 of social distancing and there’s only so many times to see Netflix asking if you are still watching, or wash the same cup.

At this time, we have been told that we have weeks if not months of social distancing, so why not have a plan or at least a list of suggestions of things to do when feeling lost on what to do next?

Here is a list of ideas I’d like to offer you to help you do well as we go through the next while supporting the efforts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

Go for a walk

Kick the ball in the yard or local park

Do a free workout at home

Do a free yoga session at home

Stretch

Sit in the sunshine

Mow the lawn

Garden

Plant flowers

Sweep the porch

Rearrange the furniture if your house

 

Read a book or magazine

Learn something new

Sew, knit, crochet

Do a puzzle

Play a board game

Play a card game

Have a dance party in your house

Make a fort in your living room

Do a face mask

Massage your hands or feet with lotion

Paint your nails

Practice a new hair style

Do your taxes

Take a free online course

Take an online tour of the world and space

Watch a live animal camera

Watch an online concert

 

Dust

Organize a shelving unit

Organize your clothing drawers

Clean your closet(s)

Change over clothing in closet

Organize Tupperware

Clean out the ‘junk drawer’

Organize the dry food cupboards

Clean out the fridge

Clean the oven

 

Paint a wall

Frame some photos

Hang artwork

Make something new

Do a craft

Colour a colouring book

Send a letter to someone

Make something for someone else

Bake, or cook

Have a bath or long shower

Call a friend or family member

Video chat with a loved one, or group of loved ones

Play online games with others

Look at old photos

Organize photos for a photo book

Listen to a podcast

Clean up your email inbox

Make a vision board

Watch some inspiring videos, like a TedTalk

Practice mindfulness

Give yourself compassion

Play brain games

Play an instrument

Journal your experience

Write poetry

Learn a language

 

Now this is just a small list of things to do while in quarantine or social distancing. Have any ideas of your own? Feel free to add in the comments below! Struggling with remaining home? I offer video and phone sessions to connect with you at home! Feel free to visit my ‘Contact Me’ page or give me a call!